at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, United States
Job Description
Reporting to the Assistant Vice President for Alumni and Donor Engagement, the Director of Engagement Communications leads the development and implementation of a comprehensive communications strategy that inspires alumni and donor engagement, participation and philanthropy. The Director coordinates communications across the three functional areas of Alumni Engagement, Philanthropic Engagement, and Donor Relations and Stewardship, ensuring that outreach is audience-centered, strategically timed and aligned around a cohesive constituent experience.
In addition to providing strategic leadership and supervising communications staff, the Director maintains significant hands-on responsibility for digital communications execution. The position directly develops, builds, launches, monitors and optimizes email campaigns and multistep constituent journeys within Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other digital platforms. The Director creates integrated engagement-to-philanthropy journeys that move constituents from awareness and connection to participation, giving, stewardship and deeper investment in Illinois State. This work includes audience segmentation, journey mapping, message and content development, email production, personalization, testing, automation, social media, targeted digital advertising and performance assessment.
The Director manages the team’s communications calendar and production processes and partners with data, technology, fundraising, engagement, stewardship and campus communications colleagues to deliver coordinated and measurable outreach. Success in this role is demonstrated not only through communications performance, but through increased engagement, event participation, donor acquisition and retention, philanthropic participation and long-term relationship growth.
Alumni and Donor Engagement is an integrated team within University Advancement that brings together alumni engagement, philanthropic engagement, donor relations and stewardship, engagement communications, and data and insights to strengthen lifelong relationships with Illinois State University. Guided by the belief that intentional engagement inspires impact, the team creates coordinated opportunities for alumni, donors, students, parents, employees and friends to connect with the University, participate in its community, contribute their time and expertise, and invest in its mission.
Engagement Communications serves as a strategic and execution-focused function connecting the work of Alumni Engagement, Philanthropic Engagement, and Donor Relations and Stewardship. The team develops coordinated communications strategies and digital experiences that help constituents understand the impact of Illinois State, discover meaningful ways to participate and move through intentional pathways from initial connection to engagement, giving, stewardship and deeper philanthropic investment. Its work includes engagement and fundraising communications, Salesforce Marketing Cloud journeys, email marketing, audience segmentation, social media, targeted digital advertising, web and digital content, storytelling, testing, automation and performance assessment.
University Benefit Highlights:
- Insurance benefits, including health, dental, vision, and life
- Retirement and supplemental retirement planning options
- Tuition waiver benefits available to staff as well as their eligible dependents
- Paid holiday/administrative closures during Thanksgiving and Winter Breaks
- Paid benefit time
Additional University Benefit information, including information regarding eligibility to participate in the State Universities Retirement System and the State of Illinois Group Insurance program, can be reviewed here: https://hr.illinoisstate.edu/benefits/
